Syntaxonomic typology of Greek habitats

A review of the vegetation of Greece, following the hierarchical system of four main syntaxonomic levels (association, alliance, order, class) is presented and the correspondence of the high-ranked syntaxa with the Habitat Types included in Annex I of the Directive 92/43/EEC has been prepared. The syntaxonomic list of the vegetation units of Greece (up to alliance level) is composed of 41 classes, 56 orders, and 91 alliances. Of the 226 Habitat Types listed in Annex I of Directive 92/43/EEC, 111 different Habitat Types are present in Greece, of which 26 are Priority Types. The establishment of a syntaxonomic typology for the Habitat Types recorded in Greece is essential for the sake of vegetation mapping and nature conservation. A habitat coding system, as applied in Spain, is proposed for Greece for mapping purposes. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A02DO015 00007     

Directive 86/609/EEC on the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes

Directive 86/609/EEC regulates the use of animals for experimental and other scientific purposes in the EU. The Directive seeks to improve the controls on the use of laboratory animals, and to set minimum standards for housing and care, and for the training of personnel handling these animals and supervising the experiments. It also aims to reduce the numbers of animals used for experiments, by encouraging the development and the validation of alternative methods to replace animals methods. Since the scientific basis of the Directive dates back at least 15 years, the Commission is planning on an in-depth revision of the Directive. The Commission aims to have a first draft proposal ready by the end of 2003.     

The seventh amendment to the cosmetics directive: what does DG enterprise want from ECVAM?

A short overview is given of the current situation regarding the draft seventh amendment to the EU cosmetics directive, Directive 76/768/EEC. Future perspectives are discussed.     

Standardized methods for anaerobic biodegradability testing

The European Community Directive 67/548/EEC (adopted in 1967), Annex V, contains about 85 testing methods, legally binding for all EU-Member States. They are regularly updated, or new methods are introduced in a formal procedure. Until 2002, no anaerobic biodegradability testing methods have been explicitly included either in the EU Directive 67/548/EEC or in the OECD-Guidelines adopted. However, a hidden EU-document with a testing scheme exists which recommends when anaerobic testing may be applied, without specifying in detail which legally binding method is to be used. In order to give an impression of the spectrum available, anaerobic test schemes proposed by ASTM, CEN, DIN, ISO, ECETOC, and OECD, are classified according to temperature, test environment, test purposes, and the equipment used.Some problems with the equipment and the methodology such as permeation phenomena, reproducibility, and the medium composition are addressed. With this, the difficulty to reach a satisfying carbon balance can be better understood. Finally, some recommendations are given on how to improve knowledge on the test equipment and the test procedure.     

Modelling the influence of nutrient loads on Portuguese estuaries

The effects of implementing Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 (Waste Water Treatment Plan Directive) and Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December (Nitrates Directive) are analysed in 7 Portuguese estuaries (Minho, Lima, Douro, Mondego, Tagus, Sado and Guadiana) and two coastal lagoons (Ria de Aveiro and Ria Formosa), with a modelling approach. MOHID Water Modelling System was used to perform simulations with three nitrogen load scenarios for each system: a reference scenario, a 50% nitrate removal by agriculture scenario and another with a 100% nutrients removal by waste water treatment plants (WWTP). It is shown that the interaction between hydrodynamic and ecological processes is an important feature to study trophic problems in estuaries. Ecological processes such as primary production only occur inside the system if the residence time of water is high enough to enable organismal activity and if the adequate conditions are found (e.g. light, nutrients, temperature). From the model results it is possible to conclude: (i) in systems with short residence time a reduction in nutrient load will only produce a decrease in nutrient transit and will not affect the system’s global ecological status (e.g. Douro Estuary); (ii) in systems with long residence time the effects will range from significant, when primary production is mostly limited by nutrients (e.g. Ria de Aveiro), to non-significant, when primary production in the system is light-limited (e.g. Tagus Estuary).     

“Ecologically Acceptable Concentrations” When Assessing the Environmental Risks of Pesticides Under European Directive 91/414/EEC

Pesticides are authorized in the European Union under Directive 91/414/EEC. This is a two-stage process that involves EU-wide assessment for Annex I listing followed by individual Member State assessment. Recently the concept of an Ecologically Acceptable Concentration (EAC) has been used during both stages of environmental risk assessments. The EAC is a concentration at which no “unacceptable” ecological effects occur and has been interpreted as a concentration at which “acceptable” effects may be allowed to occur. This article reviews the implications of the EAC concept for pesticides risk assessment and proposes improvements to make its use more objective.     

Characterisation of the European Marine Sites in South West England: The Fal and Helford Candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC)

The Conservation (Natural Habitats, & c.) Regulations 1994 which implement the Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC) and Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) in the UK include a number of provisions for the protection of European Marine Sites (marine candidate Special Areas of Conservation (cSAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs)), including the requirement for competent authorities to assess the effects of new and existing consents, permissions and authorisations to ensure that they are not having an adverse effect on the integrity of the site (Regulations 48 and 50). In England and Wales site characterisation, a process which involves the collation, integration and critical evaluation of existing site knowledge, is seen by the Environment Agency (EA) and the nature conservation bodies (English Nature – EN, and the Countryside Council for Wales – CCW) as an important step towards evaluating the effects of consented discharges and activities on the interest features of EMS, and is fundamental to the development of ecosystem-based management. An on-going project, led by the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (part of the Plymouth Marine Science Partnership) in collaboration with EA, EN and CCW, sets out to characterise the impacts and risks associated with water and sediment quality in relation to the integrity and interest features of selected European Marine Sites in southwest England and Wales. Using published information and unpublished data-sets from regulatory agencies, conservation bodies, and research institutes, evidence is compiled on the links between potentially harmful activities, environmental quality and resultant biological effects, and includes an evaluation of long-term change. An overview of results is presented here for one of the UK marine sites studied, The Fal and Helford candidate SAC, highlighting the threats to biota from point-source and diffuse pollutants, together with major gaps in our understanding. Some of the priorities for new research and better integrated monitoring to address nature conservation objectives (to maintain and restore the system) are discussed.     

Regulatory demands for biocides today and in the 1990s

This paper will review the regulatory requirements for the introduction of new substances in Europe and illustrate where differences exist in USA and Japan.Registration requirements, which exist in every member state of the EEC for each type of application for new formulations using existing or new biocide active ingredients, will be described with examples. Proposed EEC directives which affect the use of biocide active ingredients will also be described.The impact of the Preparations Directive for formulations containing biocides will be discussed.     

Loss detection of aquatic habitats in Italian volcanic lakes using historical data

Italian volcanic lakes represent an important hotspot of aquatic plant diversity. By comparing original data collected in 2009/10 with historical data, we detected species extinction and loss of habitats 3140 and 3150 (Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC). The speed of change detected claim for frequent monitoring and rapid management interventions.     

Habitat conservation prioritization: A floristic approach applied to a Mediterranean wetland network

The importance of plant communities for conservation purposes is recognized in their inclusion in the “Habitat Directive” (92/43 EEC), that relates habitat types to plant community syntaxonomic units. However, habitat definitions in the Habitat Directive lead to several inaccuracies in local habitat characterization. Several wetland plant communities (and their corresponding habitats), rare in the Mediterranean basin, are not included in the Habitat Directive. This study proposes criteria for assessing the conservation importance of habitats. It deals with plant community types at the alliance level, as promising units for setting conservation priorities. The principle criteria considered as drivers for setting alliance conservation values are the distribution and abundance of plant species of conservation interest and their fidelity to a plant community. Multivariate methods were used, and a quantitative floristic index of alliance conservation priority was created. This procedure was applied to an important wetland in central Italy. Results emphasize: (i) high conservation values of some alliances not listed in the Habitat Directive, confirming various gaps in the current conservation law affecting Mediterranean wetlands; (ii) that habitats widely distributed in other biogeographical areas, may greatly underestimate their conservation importance in Mediterranean region; (iii) need to consider regional peculiarities when setting conservation priorities.     

Occupational Electromagnetic Fields exposure in Magnetic Resonance Imaging systems – Preliminary results for the RF harmonic content

PurposeEuropean legislation concerning the protection of workers from exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) was recently (26.6.2013) completed by Directive 2013/35/ΕU. This Directive is a specific one of the framework Directive 89/391/EEC and part of the overall legislation for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS). Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems have played a key role, both in the postponement of the former 2004/40 EMF Directive and in the formation of the latest limits adopted by the new Directive. On the other hand, MRI systems are associated with the exposure of personnel to EMF of various frequencies and modulations, arousing peculiar safety issues. Therefore, we will try to acquire the highly important knowledge of the exact occupational exposure levels, in all working scenarios and practices.MethodsDifferent MRI systems (1.5 and 3 T) have been chosen for a variety of measurements in order to assess occupational exposure compared to the limits (ALs) of the Directive and to the main OHS principles. Gradient function of MRI systems results in low frequency exposure, while high frequency exposure comes from the application of the RF excitation frequency.ResultsIn most of the cases the RMS and peak value measurements do not exceed the corresponding ALs, apart from a few specific hot spots, manageable through OHS principles.DiscussionComplete occupational exposure results can form the basis for dealing with multiple exposures present in MRI systems. Peculiar RF harmonic components, of no safety concern, were detected. Their origin is under examination.     

Biopartitioning micellar chromatography: an alternative high-throughput method for assessing the ecotoxicity of anilines and phenols

An investigation of the use of the chromatographic retention (log k) as an in vitro approach for modelling the toxicity to Fathead Minnows of anilines and phenols is developed. A data set of 65 compounds with available experimental toxicity data was used. Log k data at three pH values were used for the compounds classification and two groups or 'MODEs' were identified. For one 'MODE' a quantitative retention-activity relationship (QRAR) model was calculated. Finally, it was used to estimate the toxicity to Fathead minnows of anilines and phenols for which experimental data are not available. These estimations were compared to those obtained from another toxicity (to Tetrahymena pyriformis) data set and those estimated from a U.S. EPA QSAR approach (ECOSAR software) to decide on the toxicity level according to the Directive 3/21/EEC.     

Comments on the sub-group reports of the EU Technical Expert Working Group on the revision of Directive 86/609/EEC on the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes

A critical analysis is presented of the reports produced by four Technical Expert Working Group Sub-groups (SGs) on Ethical Review, Cost-Benefit, Authorisation and Scope, which were published on the EC website (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/lab_animals/ia_info_en.htm), as part of the European Commission (EC)s review of EU Directive 86/609 EEC. This is in addition to our official response to the internet consultation questionnaire, submitted to the Commission on behalf of FRAME. Whilst the respective SG reports were extensive and detailed, we have identified several shortcomings, and in particular, a frequent lack of consensus among the SG members, resulting in a lack of clear guidance for the EC on what the revised Directive should contain, with reference to a number of crucial issues. Such indecisiveness could lead to wide discrepancies in the approaches of the EC, the European Parliament and the EU Member States concerning many issues of importance to animal welfare and the implementation of alternatives to animal experiments. These concerns range from logistical issues, such as requirements for named officers in authorised establishments, and the recording and publishing of statistics on animal use, to ethical and scientific problems, including the use of non-human primates, local ethical review, and education and training on the essential link between the Three Rs concept and best scientific practice. In each case, the basis for our concerns is explained, and suggestions for improvements to be incorporated into the revised Directive are made, in the hope that the harmonisation of approaches to laboratory animal experimentation and the use of alternative methods in the Member States can be maximised.     

Metabolism-mediated neurotoxicity: the significance of genetically engineered cell lines and new three-dimensional cell cultures

Until now, no in vitro methods for determining neurotoxic effects, on Phase I and Phase II biotransformation-driven metabolite formation or for the evaluation of the metabolism-mediated hazard of a chemical, have been validated. The current test guidelines are based on studies in vivo, involving animals exposed to the test substance. Novel in vitro testing instead of animal testing is required by Directive 86/609/EEC. In the EU White Paper on a Strategy for a Future Chemicals Policy, which may result in up to 20,000 chemicals being screened for toxicity, the use of non-animal test methods is seen as essential and is encouraged. The aim of the present work was to demonstrate the significance of novel technologies, including the use of genetically engineered cell lines and three-dimensional cell culture techniques for direct application in the regulatory hazard-assessment process. Furthermore, attempts were made to make in vitro toxicity tests for specific applications more-readily available for inclusion in the chemical hazard-assessment process, by exploiting advances made in the life sciences.     

Implications of the spatial variability of macroinvertebrate communities for monitoring of ephemeral lakes. An example from turloughs

Turloughs, ephemeral water bodies associated with karstified limestone, are an important habitat found in the West of Ireland. They are a priority habitat under the European Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and are groundwater-dependent habitats under the European Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC; WFD). Sampling to meet the objectives of either Directive requires discrimination of inherent natural variation from anthropogenically induced disturbances and accounting for both spatial and seasonal patterns of biotic distribution. This study reports within- (submerged grassland) and between-habitat (submerged and emergent grassland) variability of macroinvertebrate communities in six turloughs. Two different habitat types were sampled from two turloughs in April 2007, and further assessment of spatial pattern in commonly found submerged grassland habitat was determined from four additional turloughs in spring 2008. While cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling identified differences in macroinvertebrate community structures between habitats in one out of two turloughs, congruence of invertebrate communities was, nevertheless, greater within than among turloughs. Within-habitat variability of macroinvertebrate communities across sampling locations of submerged grassland habitat was sufficiently low so that samples collected at any location of a turlough can provide a reliable metric of the macroinvertebrate community of a turlough as a whole. A standardized submerged grassland sampling approach for routine turlough sampling is recommended as a pressure response method to fulfil the requirements of the WFD. For a comprehensive conservation assessment, however, as demanded under the EC Habitats Directive, we suggest a multi-habitat sampling approach to obtain a thorough assessment of turlough macroinvertebrate biodiversity.     

NATURA 2000 – The influence of the European directives on the development of nature-based sport and outdoor recreation in mountain areas

In all member countries of the European Community, the influence of European directives is increasing. This is especially the case with directives on the conservation of natural habitats and wild fauna and flora (European Council Directive 92/43 EEC from 1992 (Council of the European Union 1992) and the directive on the conservation of wild birds (European Council directive 79/409 EEC from 1979 (Council of the European Union 1979). These directives are expected to influence the future development of nature-based sport and outdoor recreation significantly. Many German sport organisations are expecting negative consequences for the future development of nature-based sport in mountain areas. This paper summarises key findings of a study commissioned by the German Sport Association.

This project develops guidelines for the application and interpretation of these directives, as well as for their practicable use and management. The study shows that the potential negative effects of nature-based sport and outdoor recreation activities can be categorised into three general types. Furthermore, large sport events should be evaluated separately in the future. Finally, the crucial role of management plans is discussed, which are essential if NATURA 2000 areas are to be established successfully. The management plan assists in the selection of suitable measures, helps to resolve conflicts, and increases the level of acceptance and its transparency for the public. This paper will demonstrate that the consultation and participation of local people including members of sport and recreational organisations is essential to achieve the best result in the interest of nature conservation in general and conservation of endangered habitats or species specifically.     

Ecohydrology of saline grasslands: Consequences for their restoration

Abstract. By the approval of the European Bird Directive (79/409/EEC) in 1979 and the Habitat Directive (92/43/EEC) in 1992, nature protection has become an important part of European law with direct consequences for land use, industrial development and agriculture. If a member state reclaims an area that is protected by these directives, it has to take compensational measures. When such an area includes saline grasslands that require very specific abiotic conditions, a place with similar conditions must be available to re‐establish those grasslands at another location in a sustainable way. This will limit the number and extent of possible sites for compensation. In the conflict between economy and ecology in the Schelde polders, Flanders has chosen to expand the port of Antwerp in the polders at the left Schelde bank and destroy a protected saline grassland site. As a consequence, it has to compensate for this loss. Therefore, we made a detailed study of the hydrology, geology and soil conditions of the endangered saline grassland site. The same was done in four possible compensation sites, all situated in nearby polders. We found that the presence of upwelling groundwater flowing through a saline peat layer is necessary for the occurrence of saline grasslands. Only in one of the four possible compensation sites, called Muggenhoek, we found such conditions. So, we indicate this place as a possible site for the re‐creation of saline grasslands and give some recommendations for their development.     

British and European Legislation Regulating Rhabditid Nematodes

Rhabditid nematodes are invertebrates that introduce pathogenic bacteria to the insects and molluscs they parasitise. Marketed as biopesticides, they provide safe and effective alternatives to chemical pesticides in several important sectors of horticulture. In Great Britain, the introduction of non-indigenous species of nematodes is strictly controlled, as is the contained use and deliberate release of genetically modified nematodes and their bacterial symbionts. Currently, indigenous, unmodified nematodes do not have to be registered for use as biopesticides in the UK, but in some other European countries registration is mandatory. The European Commission is seeking to harmonize procedures for the authorization of plant protection products, including rhabditid nematodes, under the provisions of Council Directive 91/414/EEC.     

Conservation priority of Italian Alpine habitats: a floristic approach based on potential distribution of vascular plant species

In the European Union, the Directive 92/43/EEC defines a number of species and habitats of community interest that are worthy to be preserved because in danger to disappear or because they are representative of the different European bio-geographical regions. In the light of the limited economic resources generally allocated to conservation efforts, there is the necessity to prioritise conservation actions in order to avoid deterioration of protected areas. To this aim, in the present study the most representative habitats of the Italian Alps are compared on the basis of vascular plant biodiversity and a conservation priority index is proposed for each habitat taking into account the potential distribution of 252 threatened vascular plant species. Rocky slopes, screes and alpine grasslands resulted to have the greatest percentage of endemic plant species so reflecting the general distributional pattern of endemic plant species at high altitudes in Eurasian mountains. The relationship between the conservation priority index and the corresponding habitat extent within the Natura 2000 network suggests that peatlands, arid grasslands, wet meadows and freshwater habitats deserve a higher priority in conservation actions. Although vascular plant biodiversity is not necessarily a surrogate of overall biodiversity of Alpine habitats, the results here reported can be used as an initial reference framework for prioritising conservation actions, so as to accomplish the provisions of Article 6 of Habitats Directive.     

Distribution,ecology and conservation survey on Trifolium michelianum Savi (Fabaceae) in Sicily (Italy)

We report the identification of four residual stations for Trifolium michelianum Savi (Fabaceae) in Sicily, whereas the species was documented to be extinct at the Gorgo Cerro station (western Sicily), the only locality previously reported in the literature. In addition to an update on the distribution of the species, a survey on the new Sicilian populations led to their biological, ecological and phytosociological characterization, as well as to an assessment of the risk factors. The species, here relegated to the limit of its distribution area, occurs in particularly sensitive and vulnerable environments, such as the “Mediterranean temporary ponds”, considered “priority” by the Council Directive 92/43/EEC. Moreover, a new Sicilian association (Trifolio micheliani–Glycerietumspicatae ass. nova), framed in the alliance Glycerio-Sparganion (class Phragmito-Magnocaricetea), is described.